


Natalie and Elizabeth

by Perfect_Square



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 17:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14140806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perfect_Square/pseuds/Perfect_Square
Summary: Incomplete.  Written in response to the writing prompt:Your father is forcing you to marry someone you have never met. The night before your wedding you tie your sheets together and make your escape through the window. Half way down you make eye contact with someone doing the exact same thing a few windows over.





	Natalie and Elizabeth

Elizabeth felt dizzy and like they could not breathe.

Trying to calm themself down they unlaced the cords of their corset. 

“Breathe Lizzie. Breathe.” Elizabeth told theirself. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“But it’s not going to be okay. It can’t be okay.” 

The political delegation from Orius had just finished convening with Elizabeth’s father and his advisers on the matter of diplomatic relations. 

The delegation wanted Elizabeth to be the bride. 

Elizabeth grabbed their arm and pressed their thumb down hard into the muscle to calm themself. 

It was supposed to be Natalie, their elder sister, who was to marry the Oriusan prince. 

She was the one who wanted the role. She’d been studying politics, diplomacy and war all her life. Natalie had wanted to be queen. 

It just seemed cruel. 

Elizabeth wanted to throw up. 

As far as they could see, there was no way out of this. A guard had been stationed outside their door to make sure they did not “wander off”.

Elizabeth wanted to scream. 

They stuffed the fabric of their dress into their face and half screamed and half ripped the fabric with their teeth. 

‘The stupid thing is ruined,’ Elizabeth noted mildly. ‘Mother will be angry.’ 

Except the tattered shreds gave Elizabeth an idea, and they were washed with a sudden calm.

Elizabeth rummaged through their desk for a pair of scissors, and then turned their attention to the bed. 

Their bed sheets were stiff cotton, perfect for the task at hand. Elizabeth was not sure how well silk would have held up. 

Elizabeth cut long strips into their sheets about 30 inches wide each. It made for 8 long strips, and if the strips could have been arranged to just touch each other it would be around 50 feet. 

Elizabeth set to work on tying the strips of blanket sheet together. 

They rolled two strips into rope like cords. Then they looped the ends of the strips together like fishhooks and tied the ends back in so tension would only make the knots more secure.

Elizabeth set about rolling the next one. 

When they finished tying all the sheets together, they were left with about 40 feet of cord. 

They formed another loop with the end of the cord and wrapped it around the middle stone window frame. Then they pulled the whole length of the cord through the available loop. 

Elizabeth tugged on it experimentally. The cord tightened, strengthening the knots. It looked like this would hold. 

With one last longing look at their bedroom bookshelf, Elizabeth began to rappel down the side of their tower. 

Halfway down they made eye contact with a similar figure escaping her own tower. 

Elizabeth stared for a moment. What the hell was Natalie doing?

Elizabeth thought reasonably, “I guess I’ll find out when we both reach the bottom.”

Elizabeth returned their attention to safely making it down. 

They were at the end of their cord, with about ten feet left. A distance they knew they could make. Elizabeth jumped. 

Natalie slunk around the corner in the shadows, and nearly made Elizabeth scream even though they had already known they were there. 

Elizabeth whispered, “What are you doing here!” 

That’s when Elizabeth got a good look at their sister. Natalie was dressed in an all black outfit, with a bag over her shoulder and a holstered sword. 

She looked like she was ready to laugh. 

“What do you think I’m doing?” she raised an eyebrow. “I know you. There’s no way you were not going to try escape tonight.”

Elizabeth was confused. “Okay, but why are you here? You don’t want to stop me, do you?”

“Please give me some credit.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “You’d die married to a man. I’m not completely horrible. I’m here to make sure you succeed, obviously.”

Elizabeth rolled their eyes at their sister. “Well. I’m doing just fine, as it is, thank you very much.”

“I’m sure. So what’s your next plan, genius? Do you know where you can sneak past the guards. Did you bribe the stable boy to meet you out in the forest with a horse?”

“So I take it you bribed the stable boy then.” Elizabeth deadpanned. 

“Yes.” Natalie’s grinned widely. “Now come on, we don’t have all night.”


End file.
